22But this is a robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’
23Who is there among you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24Who gave Jacob as plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Didn’t Yahweh, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed his law.
25Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him, and the strength of battle. It set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know. It burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.”
22 But this is a robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’
23 Who is there among you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob as plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Didn’t Yahweh, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, and they disobeyed his law.
25 Therefore he poured the fierceness of his anger on him, and the strength of battle. It set him on fire all around, but he didn’t know. It burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.”
KJVKing James Version
22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.
25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled, they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses; they are for a prey, and none delivereth, for a spoil, and none saith: 'Restore.'
23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the LORD? He against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient unto His law.
25 Therefore He poured upon him the fury of His anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.
Psalms 102:20(v22)to hear the groans of the prisoner; to free those who are condemned to death;
Jeremiah 50:17(v22)“Israel is a hunted sheep. The lions have driven him away. First, the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of…
Isaiah 51:23(v22)I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may walk over you;’ and you have laid…
Psalms 50:22(v22)“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be no one to deliver.
Isaiah 24:22(v22)They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; and after many days they will be…
Show all 73 cross-references
Isaiah 42:7(v22)to open the blind eyes, to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.
Isaiah 52:4-5(v22)For the Lord Yahweh says: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.…
Isaiah 57:11(v25)“Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a…
Jeremiah 51:34-35(v22)“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed…
Hosea 7:9(v25)Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn’t realize it. Indeed, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he doesn’t realize it.
Luke 19:41-44(v22)When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But…
Isaiah 18:2(v22)that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, saying, “Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and…
Isaiah 24:18(v22)It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will…
Ezekiel 7:8-9(v25)Now I will shortly pour out my wrath on you, and accomplish my anger against you, and will judge you according to your ways. I will bring…
Malachi 2:2(v25)If you will not listen, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to my name,” says Yahweh of Armies, “then I will send the curse…
Leviticus 26:15-46(v25)and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my…
Deuteronomy 32:22(v25)For a fire is kindled in my anger, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the…
Psalms 79:5-6(v25)How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you, on…
Isaiah 1:7(v22)Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Strangers devour your land in your presence and it is desolate, as overthrown…
Isaiah 9:13(v25)Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.
Isaiah 14:17(v22)who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”
Isaiah 48:18(v23)Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Jeremiah 5:3(v25)O Yahweh, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused…
Ezekiel 20:34(v25)I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered with a mighty hand, with an…
Nahum 1:6(v25)Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the fierceness of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are…
Acts 3:22-23(v23)For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to…
Revelation 9:18-21(v25)By these three plagues were one third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths. For…
Revelation 16:1-21(v25)I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!” The…
Leviticus 26:40-42(v23)“ ‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that…
Deuteronomy 4:29-31(v23)But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.…
Deuteronomy 28:29-33(v22)You will grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. You will only be oppressed and robbed…
Deuteronomy 28:49(v24)Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not…
Deuteronomy 32:29(v23)Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
Deuteronomy 32:30(v24)How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?
Judges 2:14(v24)Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of…
Judges 3:8(v24)Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children…
Judges 10:7(v24)Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
2 Kings 25:9(v25)He burned Yahweh’s house, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire.
2 Chronicles 15:6(v24)They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.
2 Chronicles 36:17(v24)Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had…
Nehemiah 9:26-27(v24)“Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against…
Psalms 106:40-42(v24)Therefore Yahweh burned with anger against his people. He abhorred his inheritance. He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who…
Proverbs 1:22-23(v23)“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge? Turn…
Isaiah 1:18-20(v23)“Come now, and let’s reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red…
Isaiah 10:5-6(v24)Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation! I will send him against a profane nation, and against the…
Isaiah 29:13(v25)The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from…
Isaiah 30:15(v24)For thus said the Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, “You will be saved in returning and rest. Your strength will be in quietness and in…
Isaiah 36:1(v22)Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
Isaiah 45:7(v24)I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things.
Isaiah 45:13(v22)I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free,…
Isaiah 47:6(v24)I was angry with my people. I profaned my inheritance and gave them into your hand. You showed them no mercy. You laid a very heavy yoke on…
Isaiah 47:7(v25)You said, ‘I will be a princess forever,’ so that you didn’t lay these things to your heart, nor did you remember the results.
Isaiah 50:1-2(v24)Yahweh says, “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you?…
Isaiah 56:9(v22)All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.
Isaiah 57:1(v25)The righteous perish, and no one lays it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken away from…
Isaiah 59:1-2(v24)Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear. But your iniquities have separated you…
Isaiah 63:10(v24)But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.
Jeremiah 3:4-7(v23)Will you not from this time cry to me, ‘My Father, you are the guide of my youth?’ “ ‘Will he retain his anger forever? Will he keep it to…
Jeremiah 3:13(v23)Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under…
Jeremiah 5:15(v24)Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a…
Jeremiah 25:8-9(v24)Therefore Yahweh of Armies says: “Because you have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says…
Jeremiah 52:4-11(v22)In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his…
Jeremiah 52:31(v22)In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month,…
Lamentations 1:14(v24)“The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. They are knit together. They have come up on my neck. He made my strength fail. The…
Lamentations 1:18(v24)“Yahweh is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please hear all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my young…
Ezekiel 22:21-22(v25)Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the middle of it. As silver is melted in the…
Amos 3:6(v24)Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it?
Micah 6:9(v23)Yahweh’s voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name: “Listen to the rod, and he who appointed it.
Matthew 21:28-31(v23)But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ He answered, ‘I will…
Matthew 22:7(v24)When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Luke 21:20-24(v22)“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the…
Acts 3:19(v23)“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the…
1 Peter 4:2-3(v23)that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv22–23Because they will not acknowledge this benefit of the…
Because they will not acknowledge this benefit of the Lord, who is ready to deliver them, he suffereth them to be spoiled of their enemies through their own fault and incredulity.
There shall be none to succor them, or to will the enemy to restore that which he hath spoiled.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv22–25Isa 42:22 But this [is] a people robbed and…
Isa 42:22 But this [is] a people robbed and spoiled; [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Ver. 22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.] And all too little, unless they were better. Jerome expoundeth this of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans, after their voluntary blindness and malice showed against Christ, at what time they were pulled out of holes and privies, spoiled, slaved, sold thirty a penny.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv22–25But this is a people robbed and spoiled: but…
But this is a people robbed and spoiled: but notwithstanding this great respect which God hath to his law, and to his people for the sake of his law, it is apparent that God hath severely scourged you for your sins; and therefore take heed that you do not provoke him by your obstinate infidelity, lest he cast you off for ever.
They are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses; they are, or have been, taken in snares made by their own hands, and by God’s just judgment delivered into the hands of their enemies, and by them cast into pits, or dungeons, and prisons.
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None delivereth; none saith, Restore; none afford them either pity or help in their extremities.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv22–24Who among you will give ear to this?.... To…
Who among you will give ear to this?.... To this prophecy of your destruction, and to what follows concerning it:
who will hearken and hear for the time to come? and receive instruction from hence, and repent and reform? none at all; so blind, and deaf, and stupid, were they both before, and at their destruction, and even ever since; they take no notice of the hand of God upon them, nor hearken to the rod, any more than to the word of God; which seems to be what is meant by "the time to come", or "hereafter"; and this will be their case till the veil is taken away, and then they shall see and hear, and turn to the Lord.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv22, 25But - But not withstanding this respect which God…
But - But not withstanding this respect which God hath to his people, he hath severely scourged you for your sins. Hid - They have been taken in snares made by their own hands, and by God's just judgment cast into dungeons and prisons. None - None afforded them help.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv22, 24, 25Verse 22. They are all of them snared in…
Verse 22. They are all of them snared in holes - "All their chosen youths are taken in the toils"] For הפח hapheach read הופחו huphachu, in the plural number, hophal; as החבאו hochbau, which answers to it in the following member of the sentence. Le Clerc, Houbigant. הפח huppach, Secker.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv22, 25Isa 42:22-24. But this is a people robbed and…
Isa 42:22-24. But this is a people robbed and spoiled — Notwithstanding the great respect which God hath had, and still hath, for his people, it is evident he hath severely scourged them for their sins. They are all of them snared in holes, &c. — They have been taken in snares made by their own hands, and, by God’s just judgment, delivered into the hands of their enemies, and by them cast into pits, or dungeons, and prisons. And none saith, Restore — None afforded them either pity or help in their extremities. Who will give ear to this — O that you would learn from your former and dear-bought experience to be wiser for the future, and not to provoke God to your own total and final ruin. Who gave Jacob for a spoil? Did not the Lord? — Do not flatter yourselves with a conceit of impunity, because you are a people whom God hath favoured with many and great privileges; for as God hath punished you formerly, be assured, if you continue to sin, he will punish you more and more. “It was reasonably to be expected that the Jews, blessed with such great privileges, would have been greatly honoured and respected; but, abusing those privileges, their case and situation have been, in various periods, what the prophet describes in these verses; broken, plundered, spoiled, despised by other nations, subject to the insolence of conquerors, shut up in prison, trod upon, abused and punished in such a manner as may justly raise the greatest commiseration. Their history, since the crucifixion of the Redeemer, supplies us with one continued detail of their miseries and afflictions; yet, which is most astonishing, who among them giveth ear? who heareth for the time to come? — Who among them considereth the cause of their sufferings, and becometh obedient to the law of Christ?” — Dodd.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv22–25But this is a people robbed and spoiled -…
But this is a people robbed and spoiled - The Jewish people, though highly favored, have been so unmindful of the goodness of God to them, that he has given them into the hand of their enemies to plunder them. This is to be conceived as spoken after the captivity, and while the Jews were in exile. Their being robbed and spoiled, therefore, refers to the invasion of the Chaldeans, and is to be regarded as spoken propheticly of the exiled and oppressed Jews while in Babylon.
They are all of them snared in holes - This passage has been variously rendered. Lowth renders it, ‘All their chosen youth are taken in the toils;’ following in this the translation of Jerome, and rendering it as Le Clerc and Houbigant do. The Septuagint read it, ‘And I saw, and the people were plundered and scattered, and the snare was in all their private chambers, and in their houses where they hid themselves;’ - meaning, evidently, that they had been taken by their invaders from the places where they had secreted themselves in their own city and country. The Chaldee renders it, ‘All their youth were covered with confusion, and shut up in prison.’ The Syriac, ‘All their youth are snared, and they have hid them bound in their houses.’ This variety of interpretation has arisen in part, because the Hebrew which is rendered in our version, ‘in holes’ (בחוּרים bachûrı̂ym) may be either the plural form of the word בצוּר bachûr (“chosen, selected”); and thence “youths” - selected for their beauty or strength; or it may be the plural form of the word חוּר chûr, “a hole” or “cavern,” with the preposition בּ (b) prefixed. Our translation prefers the latter; and this is probably the correct interpretation, as the parallel expression, ‘they are hid in prison-houses,’ seems to demand this. The literal interpretation of the passage is, therefore, that they were snared, or secured in the caverns, holes, or places of refuge where they sought security.
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And they are hid in prison-houses - They were concealed in their houses as in prisons, so that they could not go out with safety, or without exposing themselves to the danger of being taken captive. The land was filled with their enemies, and they were obliged to conceal themselves, if possible, from their foes.
And none saith, Restore - There is no deliverer - no one who can interpose, and compel the foe to give up his captives. The sense is, the Jewish captives were so strictly confined in Babylon, and under a government so powerful, that there was no one who could rescue them, or that they were so much the object of contempt, that there were none who would feel so much interest in them as to demand them from their foes.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv22, 24Men, whom they corrupt by their bad example. (Haydock)…
Men, whom they corrupt by their bad example. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "their young men are in chains," during the last wars, and the captivity of Juda. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv22–25holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where they…
holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where they had sought refuge [BARNES]. Or bound in subterranean dungeons [BARNES].
prison-houses--either literal prisons, or their own houses, whence they dare not go forth for fear of the enemy. The connection is: Notwithstanding God's favor to His people for His righteousness' sake (Isa 42:21), they have fallen into misery (the Babylonish and Romish captivities and their present dispersion), owing to their disregard of the divine law: spiritual imprisonment is included (Isa 42:7).
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none saith, Restore--There is no deliverer (Isa 63:5).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn v2222. But — Better, notwithstanding.
22. But — Better, notwithstanding.
This is a people robbed and spoiled — They leave the worship of Jehovah; then enemies are sent among them, who unwittingly are God’s instruments of chastisement. All this is in glaring contrast with that condition which Jehovah’s mercies were intended to produce.
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Snared in holes — Possibly caves, whither, when pursued, fugitives fled.
In prison houses — Perhaps they were often kept in their own houses by a besieging enemy.
None saith, Restore — No one who can interfere says this; in other words there is no deliverer.
23-25
Who will… give ear to this? Who… hearken — Calvin and Stier explain this clause as a reproachful exclamation; but Birks, with much truth, says: “It is rather a wondering search after the small remnant who will lay the message to heart amidst the general unbelief.”
Who gave Jacob for a spoil… did not the Lord? — Jacob, having splendid opportunities, and using them properly, could have saved himself, but he did not so use them, and has himself wrought the “spoil and the plunder.”
In retribution the Lord has sent the Chaldean as his instrument. The masses of Israel, down to and even through the Captivity, have suffered fury of God’s anger. The nation is overturned; temple and city are destroyed; exile and its mortifications are gloomily endured; but these have been a purifying fire to the remnant few only, while the masses still heed not the desolations thus made upon them as a whole people. In Isa_42:19-25 Israel is still the servant of Jehovah, chosen, yet unfaithful to his trust; instructed, yet dark minded; and at best improving but imperfectly the divine lessons given.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv23–2523. The question expresses the prophet’s wish that now…
23. The question expresses the prophet’s wish that now at last some of the people should begin to realise the significance of their relation to Jehovah, and prepare themselves for the great deliverance.
will give ear to this] i.e. to the substance of the present exhortation,—the contrast between the ideal calling of Israel and its present position, its failure to realise its mission, and (especially) the reason of that failure (Isa_42:24 f.).
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for the time to come] in contrast to past disobedience. It is evident that the prophet expects the mission of Israel to be realised by a conversion of the nation. The process of that conversion is powerfully described in ch. 53.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv22, 24, 25(22) But this is a people robbed and spoiled…
(22) But this is a people robbed and spoiled . . .—It is hard to say whether the prophet contemplates the state of the exiles in Babylon, or sees far off yet another exile, consequent on a second and more fatal falling off from the true ideal.
None delivereth . . . none saith, Restore.—The tone of despondency seems to come in strangely after the glorious promise of deliverance. On the whole, therefore, the second view seems the more probable; and, so taken, the verse finds its best commentary in Romans 9-11, which is permeated through and through with the thoughts of 2 Isaiah. The “holes” are, primarily, rock-caves, used, not as places of refuge (Isa_2:19), but as dungeons.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv22–25But this is a people, etc.; i.e. yet, notwithstanding…
But this is a people, etc.; i.e. yet, notwithstanding all that has been done for it, see the condition into which this people has brought itself. For their sins, here they are in Babylonia, robbed and spoiled i.e., suffering oppression and wrongsnared in holes, or taken in their enemies" pits, (Psa_119:85) and, some of them, hid in prison-houses, (2Ki_25:27) expiating by their punishments the long series of their offences.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv23, 25Who among you will give ear to this?
Isa_42:23-25
Who among you will give ear to this?
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National calamities
I. THE TRUE CAUSE OF NATIONAL CALAMITIES IS HERE POINTED OUT--SIN. The public distresses of the men of Judah and Israel did not proceed from fate or fortune, but from the Supreme Lord of the universe, who, as the just punishment of their atrocious wickedness, delivered them into the hands of them who spoiled and deprived them of their possessions. Their most powerful enemies could not have treated them in the manner here described had not He who rules in the kingdoms of men given them as a prey on account of their aggravated and multiplied transgressions. Though the various events, prosperous and adverse, that happen to nations and individuals are brought about by the intervention of means and instruments, the hand of the Almighty ought never to be overlooked, but humbly acknowledged. Is there any evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it? Afflictions are necessary to the government of the world in its present state; they check the progress of wickedness, and show the dreadful consequences of incurring the wrath of the Almighty.
II. THE JUST CONSEQUENCE OF TRANSGRESSION IS HERE DESCRIBED. Therefore, because they would not walk in all His ways, etc. The deplorable state of the Jewish nation at the time this prophecy was delivered, and in succeeding periods, is here graphically described. An awful instance of the Divine judgments!
III. THE ONLY METHOD TO ESCAPE DIVINE JUDGMENT IS HERE SUGGESTED. The prophet directs his discourse to the hypocritical and disobedient, who were averse to admit light into their minds, to admit conviction of their sin and danger. They were neither affected by the calamities which they felt, nor feared those with which they were threatened, though the storm was gathering thick around them. Of such people the Jewish nation were mostly composed at the time of the prophecy; and the prophet inquires, Who among you will give ear to this, and hearken for the time to come? (T. Lewis.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn vv22–23Isa_42:22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.
SIN A SPOILER
Isa_42:22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.
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When the unsuspecting traveller is waylaid, overcome by superior force and plundered; when a house is broken into and all its valuables carried off; when a country is overrun by hostile armies, devastated and pillaged, we cry out against such outrages, and pity the poor victims. Shall we be moved by wrongs like these, and yet be indifferent to the far more fearful robbery and spoliation which we have suffered through sin? Shall we continue to harbour and encourage the spoiler, who is snatching from us our most valuable possessions, nay, is even making a prey of ourselves? It is sad to contemplate the havoc which sin has made upon our nature. But it is necessary to have a right estimate of the extent to which we have suffered. Deep convictions of the reality, nature, and consequences of sin are essential to a proper appreciation of the blessings of the gospel.
We are not left in doubt as to the cause of Israel’s degradation. The question is put and answered in Isa_42:24. There is the explanation of the misery and ruin in which the people were involved. It would have been a small matter had the invaders only spoiled them of their possessions, but they themselves became a prey. The condition to which they were reduced is a good example and representation of the consequences of sin. Let us contemplate the ravages of this spoiler in the light of the words before us:—
I. Sin robs us of peace. It is a truth which we cannot evade, that as soon as a man commits a sinful act he has introduced into his life an element of unrest and misery. He has broken down the walls which protected him on every side, and now the forces of evil assail him unopposed. In this respect every sin bears a resemblance to the first sin. The guilty pair in Eden sought concealment among the trees, but it was an unavailing refuge. God brought them forth for conviction and sentence. There is no peace to the wicked. He has leagued against himself penal forces which cannot be resisted. What is here said of Israel is true of him, “they are snared in holes.” In the false refuges to which the guilt-stricken soul betakes itself, it is “snared and taken.” Sin most surely finds out the sinner. He becomes a prey to the wicked deeds which he has committed. We have heard of man-traps and spring-guns being fixed with wires in such a manner that when a wire was trod upon, a gun wheeled round, and shot or wounded the intruder. Such are the dangers which beset the sinner as he pursues his lawless course. How can there be any peace or security in such a case? The moment we sin, God delivers us over to the spoilers, who track our steps, and give us no peace (H. E. I. 4603–4612).
II. Sin robs us of liberty. Under the plausible pretext of giving us liberty, it takes it from us. (2Pe_2:19.) Men think that by indulging evil desires they widen the bounds of their freedom, but soon they find themselves degraded slaves (H. E. I. 4482–4484). They think it a fine thing to be allowed to do as they like, but ere long they become the captives of their sinful likings. We all know the enchaining power of habit. Sin is a hardening thing, but it is also cunning, deceitful, insidious (Heb_3:13). “Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird,” but foolish man rushes into the net. He harbours the thief who will plunder him of his choicest treasures, and deprives him of his liberty. He dallies with the deceiver, till he is fast in its clutches. Priding himself on his freedom, he finds it only a freedom to do evil, a freedom from law, while he has lost the power of doing good. Milton speak of those
“Who bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,
And still revolt when truth would set them free:
License they mean when they cry Liberty!”
III. Sin robs us of moral power and influence. Righteousness is bold, fearless, strong; but disobedience is weak and cowardly. A holy and upright life is an influence for good. The man who walks with God, who is much with Him in secret communion, reflects the heavenly rays that fall upon his own soul, and becomes a light and a guide to others. But once admit sin into the heart, and his moral power is so far lost. He no longer looks with reproving eye on the sins of other men, for he has allowed the spoiler to enter his own heart and to sap his spiritual strength. Take Samson as an example. Revealing to his temptress the secret of his strength, and suffering his locks to be shorn, he thought he might go forth as at other times and shake himself free of his assailants; but he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. He is a type of thousands who have been spoiled through sinful indulgence of their moral power. This result is brought about in a gradual, imperceptible way, just as a disease may for long have its seat in the system before it reveals itself outwardly; but meanwhile the man’s strength is declining. The sin you indulge may be unknown to the world, but there will be a something in your life and demeanour which will betray a hidden weakness, a waning power, a flagging zeal (H. E. I. 4491–4495).
IV. Sin robs us of sensibility. A long course of wickedness deadens the moral sense, makes men think lightly of sin, and even disregard the divine threatenings and judgments (Isa_42:21.). What spiritual blindness sin has wrought! what gross insensibility! The fire closes round him, yet he cares not. God contends with him, but conscience is so seared and deadened that nothing can rouse it. See, then, what sin can do. It can so rob and spoil us as to leave us destitute of any feeling to which either God’s love or wrath can appeal.
These are some of the treasures of which sin robs us. It opens so many doors by which spoilers enter. The theft may be perpetrated in a stealthy, secret way, so that for a time the sinner is not aware of his loss, nay, may be deluded with the notion that he is a gainer, and not a loser; but soon the deception is discovered when he finds that for a few glittering toys he has bartered away his choicest endowments, that the prowlers whom he never suspected have made off with his most precious treasures. Our subject presents a true picture of man’s state; but a man may be robbed and not be aware of it. Some precious article may be surreptitiously taken from his house, and not be missed for a long time. So it is with the unawakened sinner. He knows not that he has been harbouring thieves who have carried off his substance and robbed him of his spiritual possessions. If he set any value on these things, he would soon see his destitution; but, pleased with trifles, he knows not his loss (Rev_3:17).
Our first need, then, is to be convinced that we have been robbed and spoiled. Reflect, O sinner, on the state to which Satan has reduced you, the prey which sin has made of you. Look up to God—no peace, no communion, but a sentence ready at any moment to be carried into execution. Look into your own heart, where corruption is weaving its cords around you.
But can the stolen goods be recovered? So far as human help goes we are helpless; “none saith, Restore.” But there is One who can arrest the spoiler and bring back the lost treasures. If stung by the nettle, you have not far to look for the leaf that eases the pain (Isa_42:21). Christ has said, “Restore: stop thief,” and invites us to the enjoyment of the dignity and riches we have forfeited (Rom_5:1; Col_1:20; Rom_3:22-26; Joh_8:32; Gal_5:1; Zec_12:10).—William Guthrie, M.A.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv22, 23, 25General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking.
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But this is a people robbed and plundered
This can be stated in active form. AT: "But the enemy has robbed and plundered this people" (See: Active or Passive)
robbed and plundered
These two words mean basically the same thing and emphasize how badly the enemy had plundered them. (See: Doublet)
they are all trapped in pits, held captive in prisons
These two phrases mean basically the same thing. This can be stated in active form. AT: "the enemy has trapped them all in pits and held them captive in prisons" (See: Parallelism and Active or Passive)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv22, 2542:22-25 Throughout its history, Israel’s sin (42:24) made Israel…
42:22-25 Throughout its history, Israel’s sin (42:24) made Israel fair game for foreign oppressors. Many nations, Assyria and Babylon in particular, became instruments God used to pour out his fury (42:25) on his rebellious people.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv22–23 Because they will not acknowledge this benefit of the…
Because they will not acknowledge this benefit of the Lord, who is ready to deliver them, he suffereth them to be spoiled of their enemies through their own fault and incredulity.
There shall be none to succor them, or to will the enemy to restore that which he hath spoiled.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv22–25 Isa 42:22 But this [is] a people robbed and…
Isa 42:22 But this [is] a people robbed and spoiled; [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Ver. 22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.] And all too little, unless they were better. Jerome expoundeth this of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans, after their voluntary blindness and malice showed against Christ, at what time they were pulled out of holes and privies, spoiled, slaved, sold thirty a penny.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv22–25 But this is a people robbed and spoiled: but…
But this is a people robbed and spoiled: but notwithstanding this great respect which God hath to his law, and to his people for the sake of his law, it is apparent that God hath severely scourged you for your sins; and therefore take heed that you do not provoke him by your obstinate infidelity, lest he cast you off for ever.
They are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses; they are, or have been, taken in snares made by their own hands, and by God’s just judgment delivered into the hands of their enemies, and by them cast into pits, or dungeons, and prisons.
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None delivereth; none saith, Restore; none afford them either pity or help in their extremities.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv22–24 Who among you will give ear to this?.... To…
Who among you will give ear to this?.... To this prophecy of your destruction, and to what follows concerning it:
who will hearken and hear for the time to come? and receive instruction from hence, and repent and reform? none at all; so blind, and deaf, and stupid, were they both before, and at their destruction, and even ever since; they take no notice of the hand of God upon them, nor hearken to the rod, any more than to the word of God; which seems to be what is meant by "the time to come", or "hereafter"; and this will be their case till the veil is taken away, and then they shall see and hear, and turn to the Lord.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 But - But not withstanding this respect which God…
But - But not withstanding this respect which God hath to his people, he hath severely scourged you for your sins. Hid - They have been taken in snares made by their own hands, and by God's just judgment cast into dungeons and prisons. None - None afforded them help.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25 Verse 22. They are all of them snared in…
Verse 22. They are all of them snared in holes - "All their chosen youths are taken in the toils"] For הפח hapheach read הופחו huphachu, in the plural number, hophal; as החבאו hochbau, which answers to it in the following member of the sentence. Le Clerc, Houbigant. הפח huppach, Secker.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 Isa 42:22-24. But this is a people robbed and…
Isa 42:22-24. But this is a people robbed and spoiled — Notwithstanding the great respect which God hath had, and still hath, for his people, it is evident he hath severely scourged them for their sins. They are all of them snared in holes, &c. — They have been taken in snares made by their own hands, and, by God’s just judgment, delivered into the hands of their enemies, and by them cast into pits, or dungeons, and prisons. And none saith, Restore — None afforded them either pity or help in their extremities. Who will give ear to this — O that you would learn from your former and dear-bought experience to be wiser for the future, and not to provoke God to your own total and final ruin. Who gave Jacob for a spoil? Did not the Lord? — Do not flatter yourselves with a conceit of impunity, because you are a people whom God hath favoured with many and great privileges; for as God hath punished you formerly, be assured, if you continue to sin, he will punish you more and more. “It was reasonably to be expected that the Jews, blessed with such great privileges, would have been greatly honoured and respected; but, abusing those privileges, their case and situation have been, in various periods, what the prophet describes in these verses; broken, plundered, spoiled, despised by other nations, subject to the insolence of conquerors, shut up in prison, trod upon, abused and punished in such a manner as may justly raise the greatest commiseration. Their history, since the crucifixion of the Redeemer, supplies us with one continued detail of their miseries and afflictions; yet, which is most astonishing, who among them giveth ear? who heareth for the time to come? — Who among them considereth the cause of their sufferings, and becometh obedient to the law of Christ?” — Dodd.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv22–25 But this is a people robbed and spoiled -…
But this is a people robbed and spoiled - The Jewish people, though highly favored, have been so unmindful of the goodness of God to them, that he has given them into the hand of their enemies to plunder them. This is to be conceived as spoken after the captivity, and while the Jews were in exile. Their being robbed and spoiled, therefore, refers to the invasion of the Chaldeans, and is to be regarded as spoken propheticly of the exiled and oppressed Jews while in Babylon.
They are all of them snared in holes - This passage has been variously rendered. Lowth renders it, ‘All their chosen youth are taken in the toils;’ following in this the translation of Jerome, and rendering it as Le Clerc and Houbigant do. The Septuagint read it, ‘And I saw, and the people were plundered and scattered, and the snare was in all their private chambers, and in their houses where they hid themselves;’ - meaning, evidently, that they had been taken by their invaders from the places where they had secreted themselves in their own city and country. The Chaldee renders it, ‘All their youth were covered with confusion, and shut up in prison.’ The Syriac, ‘All their youth are snared, and they have hid them bound in their houses.’ This variety of interpretation has arisen in part, because the Hebrew which is rendered in our version, ‘in holes’ (בחוּרים bachûrı̂ym) may be either the plural form of the word בצוּר bachûr (“chosen, selected”); and thence “youths” - selected for their beauty or strength; or it may be the plural form of the word חוּר chûr, “a hole” or “cavern,” with the preposition בּ (b) prefixed. Our translation prefers the latter; and this is probably the correct interpretation, as the parallel expression, ‘they are hid in prison-houses,’ seems to demand this. The literal interpretation of the passage is, therefore, that they were snared, or secured in the caverns, holes, or places of refuge where they sought security.
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And they are hid in prison-houses - They were concealed in their houses as in prisons, so that they could not go out with safety, or without exposing themselves to the danger of being taken captive. The land was filled with their enemies, and they were obliged to conceal themselves, if possible, from their foes.
And none saith, Restore - There is no deliverer - no one who can interpose, and compel the foe to give up his captives. The sense is, the Jewish captives were so strictly confined in Babylon, and under a government so powerful, that there was no one who could rescue them, or that they were so much the object of contempt, that there were none who would feel so much interest in them as to demand them from their foes.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 Men, whom they corrupt by their bad example. (Haydock)…
Men, whom they corrupt by their bad example. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "their young men are in chains," during the last wars, and the captivity of Juda. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv22–25 holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where they…
holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where they had sought refuge [BARNES]. Or bound in subterranean dungeons [BARNES].
prison-houses--either literal prisons, or their own houses, whence they dare not go forth for fear of the enemy. The connection is: Notwithstanding God's favor to His people for His righteousness' sake (Isa 42:21), they have fallen into misery (the Babylonish and Romish captivities and their present dispersion), owing to their disregard of the divine law: spiritual imprisonment is included (Isa 42:7).
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none saith, Restore--There is no deliverer (Isa 63:5).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v22 22. But — Better, notwithstanding.
22. But — Better, notwithstanding.
This is a people robbed and spoiled — They leave the worship of Jehovah; then enemies are sent among them, who unwittingly are God’s instruments of chastisement. All this is in glaring contrast with that condition which Jehovah’s mercies were intended to produce.
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Snared in holes — Possibly caves, whither, when pursued, fugitives fled.
In prison houses — Perhaps they were often kept in their own houses by a besieging enemy.
None saith, Restore — No one who can interfere says this; in other words there is no deliverer.
23-25
Who will… give ear to this? Who… hearken — Calvin and Stier explain this clause as a reproachful exclamation; but Birks, with much truth, says: “It is rather a wondering search after the small remnant who will lay the message to heart amidst the general unbelief.”
Who gave Jacob for a spoil… did not the Lord? — Jacob, having splendid opportunities, and using them properly, could have saved himself, but he did not so use them, and has himself wrought the “spoil and the plunder.”
In retribution the Lord has sent the Chaldean as his instrument. The masses of Israel, down to and even through the Captivity, have suffered fury of God’s anger. The nation is overturned; temple and city are destroyed; exile and its mortifications are gloomily endured; but these have been a purifying fire to the remnant few only, while the masses still heed not the desolations thus made upon them as a whole people. In Isa_42:19-25 Israel is still the servant of Jehovah, chosen, yet unfaithful to his trust; instructed, yet dark minded; and at best improving but imperfectly the divine lessons given.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv23–25 23. The question expresses the prophet’s wish that now…
23. The question expresses the prophet’s wish that now at last some of the people should begin to realise the significance of their relation to Jehovah, and prepare themselves for the great deliverance.
will give ear to this] i.e. to the substance of the present exhortation,—the contrast between the ideal calling of Israel and its present position, its failure to realise its mission, and (especially) the reason of that failure (Isa_42:24 f.).
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for the time to come] in contrast to past disobedience. It is evident that the prophet expects the mission of Israel to be realised by a conversion of the nation. The process of that conversion is powerfully described in ch. 53.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25 (22) But this is a people robbed and spoiled…
(22) But this is a people robbed and spoiled . . .—It is hard to say whether the prophet contemplates the state of the exiles in Babylon, or sees far off yet another exile, consequent on a second and more fatal falling off from the true ideal.
None delivereth . . . none saith, Restore.—The tone of despondency seems to come in strangely after the glorious promise of deliverance. On the whole, therefore, the second view seems the more probable; and, so taken, the verse finds its best commentary in Romans 9-11, which is permeated through and through with the thoughts of 2 Isaiah. The “holes” are, primarily, rock-caves, used, not as places of refuge (Isa_2:19), but as dungeons.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv22–25 But this is a people, etc.; i.e. yet, notwithstanding…
But this is a people, etc.; i.e. yet, notwithstanding all that has been done for it, see the condition into which this people has brought itself. For their sins, here they are in Babylonia, robbed and spoiled i.e., suffering oppression and wrongsnared in holes, or taken in their enemies" pits, (Psa_119:85) and, some of them, hid in prison-houses, (2Ki_25:27) expiating by their punishments the long series of their offences.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv23, 25 Who among you will give ear to this?
Isa_42:23-25
Who among you will give ear to this?
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--
National calamities
I. THE TRUE CAUSE OF NATIONAL CALAMITIES IS HERE POINTED OUT--SIN. The public distresses of the men of Judah and Israel did not proceed from fate or fortune, but from the Supreme Lord of the universe, who, as the just punishment of their atrocious wickedness, delivered them into the hands of them who spoiled and deprived them of their possessions. Their most powerful enemies could not have treated them in the manner here described had not He who rules in the kingdoms of men given them as a prey on account of their aggravated and multiplied transgressions. Though the various events, prosperous and adverse, that happen to nations and individuals are brought about by the intervention of means and instruments, the hand of the Almighty ought never to be overlooked, but humbly acknowledged. Is there any evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it? Afflictions are necessary to the government of the world in its present state; they check the progress of wickedness, and show the dreadful consequences of incurring the wrath of the Almighty.
II. THE JUST CONSEQUENCE OF TRANSGRESSION IS HERE DESCRIBED. Therefore, because they would not walk in all His ways, etc. The deplorable state of the Jewish nation at the time this prophecy was delivered, and in succeeding periods, is here graphically described. An awful instance of the Divine judgments!
III. THE ONLY METHOD TO ESCAPE DIVINE JUDGMENT IS HERE SUGGESTED. The prophet directs his discourse to the hypocritical and disobedient, who were averse to admit light into their minds, to admit conviction of their sin and danger. They were neither affected by the calamities which they felt, nor feared those with which they were threatened, though the storm was gathering thick around them. Of such people the Jewish nation were mostly composed at the time of the prophecy; and the prophet inquires, Who among you will give ear to this, and hearken for the time to come? (T. Lewis.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On vv22–23 Isa_42:22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.
SIN A SPOILER
Isa_42:22. But this is a people robbed and spoiled.
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When the unsuspecting traveller is waylaid, overcome by superior force and plundered; when a house is broken into and all its valuables carried off; when a country is overrun by hostile armies, devastated and pillaged, we cry out against such outrages, and pity the poor victims. Shall we be moved by wrongs like these, and yet be indifferent to the far more fearful robbery and spoliation which we have suffered through sin? Shall we continue to harbour and encourage the spoiler, who is snatching from us our most valuable possessions, nay, is even making a prey of ourselves? It is sad to contemplate the havoc which sin has made upon our nature. But it is necessary to have a right estimate of the extent to which we have suffered. Deep convictions of the reality, nature, and consequences of sin are essential to a proper appreciation of the blessings of the gospel.
We are not left in doubt as to the cause of Israel’s degradation. The question is put and answered in Isa_42:24. There is the explanation of the misery and ruin in which the people were involved. It would have been a small matter had the invaders only spoiled them of their possessions, but they themselves became a prey. The condition to which they were reduced is a good example and representation of the consequences of sin. Let us contemplate the ravages of this spoiler in the light of the words before us:—
I. Sin robs us of peace. It is a truth which we cannot evade, that as soon as a man commits a sinful act he has introduced into his life an element of unrest and misery. He has broken down the walls which protected him on every side, and now the forces of evil assail him unopposed. In this respect every sin bears a resemblance to the first sin. The guilty pair in Eden sought concealment among the trees, but it was an unavailing refuge. God brought them forth for conviction and sentence. There is no peace to the wicked. He has leagued against himself penal forces which cannot be resisted. What is here said of Israel is true of him, “they are snared in holes.” In the false refuges to which the guilt-stricken soul betakes itself, it is “snared and taken.” Sin most surely finds out the sinner. He becomes a prey to the wicked deeds which he has committed. We have heard of man-traps and spring-guns being fixed with wires in such a manner that when a wire was trod upon, a gun wheeled round, and shot or wounded the intruder. Such are the dangers which beset the sinner as he pursues his lawless course. How can there be any peace or security in such a case? The moment we sin, God delivers us over to the spoilers, who track our steps, and give us no peace (H. E. I. 4603–4612).
II. Sin robs us of liberty. Under the plausible pretext of giving us liberty, it takes it from us. (2Pe_2:19.) Men think that by indulging evil desires they widen the bounds of their freedom, but soon they find themselves degraded slaves (H. E. I. 4482–4484). They think it a fine thing to be allowed to do as they like, but ere long they become the captives of their sinful likings. We all know the enchaining power of habit. Sin is a hardening thing, but it is also cunning, deceitful, insidious (Heb_3:13). “Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird,” but foolish man rushes into the net. He harbours the thief who will plunder him of his choicest treasures, and deprives him of his liberty. He dallies with the deceiver, till he is fast in its clutches. Priding himself on his freedom, he finds it only a freedom to do evil, a freedom from law, while he has lost the power of doing good. Milton speak of those
“Who bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,
And still revolt when truth would set them free:
License they mean when they cry Liberty!”
III. Sin robs us of moral power and influence. Righteousness is bold, fearless, strong; but disobedience is weak and cowardly. A holy and upright life is an influence for good. The man who walks with God, who is much with Him in secret communion, reflects the heavenly rays that fall upon his own soul, and becomes a light and a guide to others. But once admit sin into the heart, and his moral power is so far lost. He no longer looks with reproving eye on the sins of other men, for he has allowed the spoiler to enter his own heart and to sap his spiritual strength. Take Samson as an example. Revealing to his temptress the secret of his strength, and suffering his locks to be shorn, he thought he might go forth as at other times and shake himself free of his assailants; but he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. He is a type of thousands who have been spoiled through sinful indulgence of their moral power. This result is brought about in a gradual, imperceptible way, just as a disease may for long have its seat in the system before it reveals itself outwardly; but meanwhile the man’s strength is declining. The sin you indulge may be unknown to the world, but there will be a something in your life and demeanour which will betray a hidden weakness, a waning power, a flagging zeal (H. E. I. 4491–4495).
IV. Sin robs us of sensibility. A long course of wickedness deadens the moral sense, makes men think lightly of sin, and even disregard the divine threatenings and judgments (Isa_42:21.). What spiritual blindness sin has wrought! what gross insensibility! The fire closes round him, yet he cares not. God contends with him, but conscience is so seared and deadened that nothing can rouse it. See, then, what sin can do. It can so rob and spoil us as to leave us destitute of any feeling to which either God’s love or wrath can appeal.
These are some of the treasures of which sin robs us. It opens so many doors by which spoilers enter. The theft may be perpetrated in a stealthy, secret way, so that for a time the sinner is not aware of his loss, nay, may be deluded with the notion that he is a gainer, and not a loser; but soon the deception is discovered when he finds that for a few glittering toys he has bartered away his choicest endowments, that the prowlers whom he never suspected have made off with his most precious treasures. Our subject presents a true picture of man’s state; but a man may be robbed and not be aware of it. Some precious article may be surreptitiously taken from his house, and not be missed for a long time. So it is with the unawakened sinner. He knows not that he has been harbouring thieves who have carried off his substance and robbed him of his spiritual possessions. If he set any value on these things, he would soon see his destitution; but, pleased with trifles, he knows not his loss (Rev_3:17).
Our first need, then, is to be convinced that we have been robbed and spoiled. Reflect, O sinner, on the state to which Satan has reduced you, the prey which sin has made of you. Look up to God—no peace, no communion, but a sentence ready at any moment to be carried into execution. Look into your own heart, where corruption is weaving its cords around you.
But can the stolen goods be recovered? So far as human help goes we are helpless; “none saith, Restore.” But there is One who can arrest the spoiler and bring back the lost treasures. If stung by the nettle, you have not far to look for the leaf that eases the pain (Isa_42:21). Christ has said, “Restore: stop thief,” and invites us to the enjoyment of the dignity and riches we have forfeited (Rom_5:1; Col_1:20; Rom_3:22-26; Joh_8:32; Gal_5:1; Zec_12:10).—William Guthrie, M.A.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 23, 25 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking.
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But this is a people robbed and plundered
This can be stated in active form. AT: "But the enemy has robbed and plundered this people" (See: Active or Passive)
robbed and plundered
These two words mean basically the same thing and emphasize how badly the enemy had plundered them. (See: Doublet)
they are all trapped in pits, held captive in prisons
These two phrases mean basically the same thing. This can be stated in active form. AT: "the enemy has trapped them all in pits and held them captive in prisons" (See: Parallelism and Active or Passive)
translationWords
people group
pit
captive
prison
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 25 42:22-25 Throughout its history, Israel’s sin (42:24) made Israel…
42:22-25 Throughout its history, Israel’s sin (42:24) made Israel fair game for foreign oppressors. Many nations, Assyria and Babylon in particular, became instruments God used to pour out his fury (42:25) on his rebellious people.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.